Hockey and Football

[fran]

Please give your opinion on whether or not hockey players should be playing football in the fall.<br> <p></p><i></i>

[Rocketwrister]

I think they should personally. The more sports a high school kid plays the better! Keep there interests up and let them have fun. <p></p><i></i>

[diskman]

Football coaches aren't always very flexible in letting their players skate in the fall. They don't want to let them skate and risk injury. I think it is almost impossible to be competitive in both sports unless you are on a small town team. Besides that, the seasons overlap somewhat. After playing a season of football, there is very little time, if any, to get ready to skate. <br><br>Soccer players have an easier time because both sports are aerobic. Football players have extra weight to get rid of and they aren't necessarily in their best condition speedwise. There would be others that play hockey year-round just waiting to take those spots. <br><br>It boils down to the coaching staff. Sometimes they encourage kids to be multi-sport and other times they want their players to be playing hockey year round. <p></p><i></i>

[wcha fan]

absolutely let the kids play if they want to. Isn't Blake Wheeler a tight end for his team? It will keep the kids busy and out of trouble. Most of the kids playing in high school will not be playing after they graduate so why not let them have a chance to be kids and have some fun and memories. As far as getting hurt that is bull. If you think they will get hurt than why do they play a physical game like hockey? <p></p><i></i>

[JLS 81]

Guys I know in the metro it is getting insane with the pressure put on kids to be one sport athletes. IMHO it is gettig pretty sad to see. As I think kids are better served by playing three sports if possible. They become better well rounded athletes and heck they have a whole lot of fun looking forward to the new sport coming up. This is by far the way it should be for kids as we should encourage the youth to play all sports and by that I am talking to the coaches and the parents in general as you are putting too much pressure on today's kids.<br>I know small town athlete can still do multiple sports guys like Gino Guyer and Andy Sertich did this. Guys remember Paul Martin? Not too long ago, a very gifted 3 sport athlete and he is a metro guy to boot, so please kids do not buckle to the pressure. Even though it is getting very tough. I know things have changed a lot but believe me when you go to college you will have enough of one sport. I played football at Moorhead State and reflecting on the time commitment am very glad I played three sports in high school. <p></p><i></i>

[diskman]

Don't think from my previous post that I agree with any of that. I think that kids SHOULD be multi-sport athletes. I was just saying that it is getting almost impossible to play a sport like football. <br><br>The football coaches at our school don't want the boys to skate during football season at all. They are not allowwed to skate - even captain's practice. They are concerned about a hockey injury ruining the football season. It's like a hockey coach not allowing the boys to ski for fear that their season will be ruined by an injury. So, a kid may be strapping on the skates for the first time since summer in November. That doesn't give him much chance to get his legs back. When the tryout process is competitive, it puts football players at a disadvantage. Some kids have had to choose.<br><br>It may be totally different in a small town. The pool of athletes isn't as big. But in the metro, some coaches expect a year-round committment. A coach might give lip service to multi-sports and well-rounded kids, etc. but when it comes right down to it, they want hockey committment. I'm not saying it's right - I'm just saying it's reality. <p></p><i></i>

[statehockey22]

i would have to agree to play more than just hockey, in my years of high school each sport i played helped the next....playing baseball helped out my hand eye coordination for hockey, playing football made me hit harder for hockey, and playing soccer helped me with endurance, so i would encourage hockey players to play more than one sport, also i agree that is keeps the kids out of trouble like drinking and other stuff....they wont have time with it between there sports and there studies <p></p><i></i>

[fran]

What do you guys think of this idea? Moving the spring sports such as baseball, track, golf, etc.. back two to three weeks and allow for more time between fall, winter , and spring sports. Maybe even starting the fall sports a week earlier. Give the kids and coaches more flexibility. I know up north the spring sports end up getting crammed in because of weather. Just a thought. <p></p><i></i>

[JLS 81]

There is no doubt the kids are pressured and sad to say by people they are supposed to trust that being the adult coaches. Your description is on the level regarding the metro schools. You are right about the challenge a kid would face if he decides to play football in the fall than show up to hockey tryout to compete against a possible 100 plus other kids for a roster spot. <br>His chance of making it would be tough as his legs would not have acclimated yet to hockey when the other guys have been playing all fall. Sad to say the coaches could care less they want the best kids. In the above scenario his chance of making it is quite tough.<br>It is the adults who are ruining the enjoyment of sport not the kids. I am glad my kid is growing up in Grand Rapids as this pressure to only play one sprt does not exist. I do feel sorry for the pressure put on metro area kids to only play one sport...it is not right at all.<br>It is one thing to want to do it yet quite another to have to do it. <p></p><i></i>

[sports8689]

Lets get a grip people, parents, and coaches, these kids should be able to play whatever and all sports that they want. It makes them better athletes. What is happening? Most college, and pro coaches will agree. <p></p><i></i>

[packerboy]

Thats great guys but it will take more than lobbying the high school coaches and starting a week earlier. What is going on in hockey now? It isnt the high school season ,its the Select Season. Can a kid play baseball and be on the Select team?<br><br>What about the Fall? We used to have Fall leagues that were "football friendly" Now its the "Elite League" and I dont know if anybody can play football and be on a elite team.<br><br>The point is, we (not the high schools) cant control ourselves. We have this insatiable need to identify the best and form these select programs that interfere with other sports. <br><br>Until that changes.....nothing will change <p></p><i></i>

[HBK 15]

elite league does not interfere with football.. i know of many players who played both. Elite league games are on weekends (saturday sunday). And football games are mostly on fridays <p></p><i></i>

[tipper]

Ryan Gunderson was An all-Conference player for Mahtomedi Jr & Sr year (runningback and linebacker) while playing in the elite league. Hartzell, his coach actually encouraged him ( there are some great coaches left in the world!). He missed early Sat morning games for films and played pretty beat up, but its possible <p></p><i></i>

[sports8689]

Too much is put into the elite leagues and the selects. If a kid is going to make it, he will with or without these leagues. Everyone needs to get a grip, it's the well so and so is doing this, so I better, and so on. Wayne Gretzkys are born not made. These leagues can take a mediocre kid and make them better, but not great. What they really take is parents money and make kids feel that they have to give up all other sports. My son has choosen not to do these leagues, because he plays other sports, and his hockey future is great. So everyone needs to back off on these kids. What it comes down to is money. Hockey has turned into a money making business. Also these teams are all about who you know, or the opinions of the coaches, and we know what opinions are. So hockey back off and let kids be kids. Parents get a life, and let your kids have fun and play hockey, if they want to, but also be realistic about it. Coaches you should be ashamed of yourselves, grow up and start thinking about the kids instead of yourself and the team. <p></p><i></i>

[GR80]

I wish more parents would read these responses. Those that have said Spring League, Summer League, Fall leagues are all about making money for whoever runs the leagues is right on. It is not about player development. All you ever hear pro athletes talk about is how they played multiple sports and became well rounded athletes. Today there is so much pressure to specialize that it leads to burnout or loss of desire or hunger to play. I listen to our youth players talk about all the leagues they play in. Hockey season has no season any more. They go from one season to the next season or league. As a result there is no finality or hurt if they end the season on a losing note. No buring desire to get after it next year. Instead they respond with, "Oh well my spring league starts tomorrow". It all runs together and they lose the hunger and drive for the sport. Parents who beleive their kids will become stars and get scholarships should save their money. I once heard Coach Lucia say if spending hundreds and sometime thousands a summer would gaurantee a scholarship then it would be worth it. Instead it gaurantees nothing. Players would be better off in all sports if they concentrated on getting bigger faster stronger. Instead players just want to play games. By the time they get to HS many don't like practice because they don't know how to due to the fact they all they do at the youth level is play games. Also by specilaizing, athletes only see the perspective of one sports coach. They don't see a Fb, soccer, baseball, track coach. Experienceing different coaches in different sports is part of becoming well rounded in athletics. And sports8689 you are right, parents should back off and so should coaches. Sport organizations have become their own worst enemies. And is not just hockey. <p></p><i></i>